MWRD Pilot in Cook County

StormStore™—a partnership of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC)—is seeking partners and projects within the Little Calumet and Lower Des Plaines watersheds to participate in a Stormwater Credit Trading pilot. This pilot is enabled by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s (MWRD) recent update to the Watershed Management Ordinance (WMO), which allows developers to comply with stormwater management regulations by developing facilities offsite, but within the same watershed, through 2024. This StormStore™ pilot is intended to demonstrate that compliance with the WMO can be both beneficial to communities and the environment and cost effective for developers.

Who should participate?

There are only a few requirements to qualify for participation in this Pilot. However, for this early stage of market development, some projects are likely to be better than others. The following outlines current requirements and recommendations.

If you are considering purchasing credits as a means of alternative compliance for stormwater management, your project should be:

• located fully within one of the eligible geographies
• greater than 0.5 acres
• able to meet the reduced onsite retention and detention requirements outlined in the ordinance

If you are considering using your site to generate credits, your project should be:

• located fully within one of the eligible geographies
• greater than 0.5 acres
• able to provide new and voluntary stormwater storage for the watershed
• NOT a single-family home development

You are:

• an innovator who wants to bring value to your site or community
• a committed steward to the long-term care and maintenance of your project
• concerned about inequities in stormwater infrastructure and investment in Cook County

Do you have a project in mind? Would StormStore benefit you? Contact us!

We’re looking for partners in the private sector, conservation organizations, land banks, and residents, in addition to governments. If any of the following describe you or your organization, please contact us:

• A private-developer who is seeking an innovative way to meet your Watershed Management Ordinance compliance requirements
• A municipality that has identified projects to address local flooding, or add new park-like amenities to your community
• An affordable housing developer
• A consulting engineer, planner, or architect working with developers in these two watersheds
• A resident community member who has a project identified in a local plan they want to see realized
• A nonprofit landowner or manager
• An institution (e.g. school, hospital) that has plans to improve or redevelop your property

Little Calumet River Watershed Planning Area

Priority Support Areas for Supply-sites

Robbins
Blue Island
Riverdale
Dixmoor
Posen
Midlothian
Markham
Hazel Crest
South Holland
Dolton
Calumet City
Burnham
Lansing

Lower Des Plaines River Watershed Planning Area

Priority Support Areas for Supply-sites

Desplaines
Rosemont
Norridge
Elmwood Park
River Grove
Franklin Park
Melrose Park
Maywood
Bellwood
Broadview
Oak Park
Cicero
Berwyn
Lyons
Summit
Stickney
Maine township
Leyden township